Comprehensive Plan: PID-Based Smart Greenhouse System
1. Objective:
Design and implement a PID-based smart greenhouse system to automate and maintain optimal
environmental conditions for plant growth by regulating temperature, humidity, light intensity, and soil
moisture.
2. System Overview:
The system will monitor environmental conditions using sensors and adjust actuators accordingly. A PID
controller will optimize control accuracy by minimizing errors in environmental variables.
3. Key Components & Connections:
1. Sensors (For feedback monitoring)
Component Arduino Pin Notes
DHT22 (Temperature & Humidity) D2 Data pin to D2, with 10kΩ pull-up resistor
LDR (Light Sensor) A0 Uses a 10kΩ resistor for a voltage divider
BH1750 (Light Sensor - I2C) A4 (SDA), A5 (SCL) Uses I2C communication
Soil Moisture Sensor A1 Analog input to measure soil moisture
CO2 Sensor (Optional) A2 Measures CO2 concentration
2. Actuators (Controlled by PID system)
Actuator Arduino Pin Connection Type
Fan (Cooling System) D3 (PWM) Via relay or MOSFET
Heater D4 (PWM) Via relay or MOSFET
Humidifier D5 (PWM) Via relay or MOSFET
Grow Lights D6 (PWM) Via relay or MOSFET
Water Pump (Irrigation) D7 Relay-controlled
3. Display & User Interface
Component Arduino Pin Notes
16x2 LCD (I2C - with backpack) A4 (SDA), A5 (SCL) Uses I2C communication
Push Buttons (for Setpoint Adjustments) D8, D9 Use pull-down resistors
4. Power Supply
• Arduino Uno → Powered via USB (5V) or 9V adapter.
• Sensors → Powered by Arduino’s 5V/GND.
• Relays & Actuators → Powered by external 12V/5V supply (Avoid overloading Arduino).
• Common Grounding → Connect all GND pins together.
4. Software & PID Algorithm Implementation
Required Arduino Libraries
• DHT sensor library (DHT.h)
• Wire Library (Wire.h) for I2C communication
• BH1750 Light Sensor Library
• PID Library (PID_v1.h)
Arduino Code
#include <PID_v1.h>
#include <DHT.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <BH1750.h>
// Define sensor pins
#define DHTPIN 2
#define RELAY_FAN 3
#define RELAY_HEATER 4
#define RELAY_HUMIDIFIER 5
#define RELAY_LIGHT 6
#define RELAY_PUMP 7
// Define setpoints
double setTemp = 25.0; // Desired temperature (°C)
double setHumidity = 60.0; // Desired humidity (%)
// PID variables
double tempInput, tempOutput;
double humidityInput, humidityOutput;
double Kp = 2.0, Ki = 5.0, Kd = 1.0;
// PID instances
PID tempPID(&tempInput, &tempOutput, &setTemp, Kp, Ki, Kd, DIRECT);
PID humidityPID(&humidityInput, &humidityOutput, &setHumidity, Kp, Ki, Kd, DIRECT);
// Sensor instances
DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHT22);
BH1750 lightMeter;
void setup() {
[Link](9600);
pinMode(RELAY_FAN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(RELAY_HEATER, OUTPUT);
pinMode(RELAY_HUMIDIFIER, OUTPUT);
pinMode(RELAY_LIGHT, OUTPUT);
pinMode(RELAY_PUMP, OUTPUT);
[Link]();
[Link]();
[Link]();
[Link](AUTOMATIC);
[Link](AUTOMATIC);
void loop() {
// Read sensors
tempInput = [Link]();
humidityInput = [Link]();
float lightLevel = [Link]();
// Compute PID outputs
[Link]();
[Link]();
// Control actuators
analogWrite(RELAY_FAN, tempOutput);
analogWrite(RELAY_HEATER, humidityOutput);
if (lightLevel < 10000) digitalWrite(RELAY_LIGHT, HIGH); // Turn on light if low
else digitalWrite(RELAY_LIGHT, LOW);
if (humidityInput < setHumidity) digitalWrite(RELAY_HUMIDIFIER, HIGH);
else digitalWrite(RELAY_HUMIDIFIER, LOW);
[Link]("Temperature: "); [Link](tempInput);
[Link](" | Humidity: "); [Link](humidityInput);
delay(1000);
5. Testing & Tuning
1. Testing Sensors
• Check if DHT22, BH1750, and soil sensors give correct readings.
• Test actuators individually using simple HIGH/LOW commands.
2. PID Tuning
• Adjust Kp, Ki, and Kd values manually or use Ziegler-Nichols tuning.
3. Simulation Tools
• Proteus (Best for circuit simulation with Arduino).
• Tinkercad (For simple virtual circuit testing, but no PID support).
• SimulIDE (Lightweight Arduino simulation).
6. Real-World Problems & Solutions
Problem Solution
Sensor inaccuracies Regular calibration & high-quality sensors
Power issues Use a separate 12V power supply for actuators
Relay failure Use solid-state relays for reliability
WiFi interference (if using ESP32) Shielding & dedicated communication channels
Overheating components Proper ventilation & heat sinks for MOSFETs
7. Expected Outcome
• Automated temperature, humidity, and light control for plants.
• Energy-efficient system with minimal manual intervention.
• Scalable design for various greenhouse sizes and crops.
